The Boyfriends Will Not Be The Legacy Of ‘The Mindy Project’

Here in America, we love a good ol’ ranking. Of anything, really. And we love cute boyfriends. So when a show like The Mindy Project comes along and provides the opportunity to rank cute boyfriends? We just can’t help ourselves. But maybe we should just a little bit. The Hulu comedy series had so much more going on than just the never-ending (and total low-hanging fruit) lists of lovers the internet loves to draw up at the beginning and end of each season of the show.

On one hand, it’s harmless and fun. It’s 2017 and we’re still debating if Carrie and Big belong together or if it was Aidan (or my personal pick, Berger) she was meant to be with on Sex and the City. For the same reason we watch people “fall in love” on The Bachelor and discuss the drama with our pals, we love learning about ourselves and the relationships we desire (or know to avoid) by watching people on TV try and fail so that we don’t have to be quite so bold.

At it’s heart, The Mindy Project was a romantic comedy, and a fantastic one at that. Did my heart skip a beat every time Anders Holm turned around and revealed another run in with Pastor Casey? You bet it did. But if we’re simply focusing on the (sigh, mostly white) hot dudes that popped by The Mindy Project, we’re all doing ourselves a total disservice — not to mention, completely missing out on the point of the show.

Mindy Kaling, an Indian-American, non-sample-sized woman from Massachusetts who came from an architect and OB/GYN parents, created, wrote, and starred in a comedy that lasted for six seasons on two different networks. She gave jobs to hundreds of very talented people who will go on to even bigger projects, but who will also credit her with their big break or just a fun place to work. From the exceptional writing, to the gorgeous fashion, to the totally meme-able hilarious performances the show has put forth, there are many other aspects of The Mindy Project to celebrate than just a pack of handsome bros. Again: I’m totally guilty of this myself. I swooned at sleazy Josh (Tommy Dewey), I looked at Mark Duplass in a whole new light after her season one encounter with Brendan Deslaurier, and I’ve never been more thrilled for a Ne-Yo cameo. Yet even after all that drooling, I still found other things about the show exciting.

If you are a compulsive ranker, how about you explore Dr. Mindy Lahiri’s accomplishments within the show? On top of being a successful female doctor, she also opened up her own fertility business and balanced her two jobs with the demands of being a single mom. Oh, and she wasn’t the only one. In the world of The Mindy Project, basically everyone was a single mom, across all generations, ethnicities and tax brackets. That status was the norm, and a choice, and a badge of honor for many of these women, one that future shows will point to as its influence. That right there is much more impressive than your main character going on a date with some skateboarding dude, even if he is played by Timothy Olyphant. Again: great, just not so impactful.

But perhaps one of the show’s biggest accomplishments was capturing what it’s like to be a modern woman — only, you know, in a way funnier, much more fabulous, and totally well-dressed way. Mindy Lahiri explored the everyday stresses of not having a plus one for a wedding, getting over an ex, dealing with finances, working out, making female friends, finding a suitable one night stand, dealing with in-laws, dealing with step-children, and at its core, working with a bunch of weirdos. And on top of all that, the character made it all seem possible, and normal, and even fun.

This is a series that took famous, widely used, and frequently celebrated romantic comedy themes and twisted them into their own while still honoring the original intent of each. The show redefined what it means to be a single, successful woman looking for love without needing a pretty white lady at the center. The Mindy Project can also boast an accurate, heart-warming depiction of what it’s like to have a solid guy friend in your life who listens, supports, and encourages you to go out there and get your freak on, if that’s what you’re in the mood for, through Mindy and Peter’s (Adam Pally) friendship. This is show that was no doubt about love and meaningful relationships (both romantic and platonic) so of course there are going to be randos around. But just like real life, the worthwhile ones stuck around for more than a half-hour.

The Mindy Project wouldn’t be what it is without the gaggle of guys they’ve brought in (and out) over the years. But when we look back on this show, we shouldn’t just worry about if Casey was better than Cliff (Glenn Howerton). They each played an important part in Mindy’s story, the one that matters, and the one that will be remembered for years to come. For some, this could be the show that got them hooked on delicious bear claws or got them frequently inserting “Ex-squeeze me?” into their vernacular: we’ll each take away something meaningful and funny and different from the show. But what we all know to be true is that Mindy and Danny (Chris Messina) were meant to be together after all, and the thing about that is, once you figure out who really matters, then no one else does.

Where to watch The Mindy Project